LGBT Community Commends Sacramento Kings for Building World’s First Arena to Fully Accommodate Transgender Fans

Posted on September 28, 2016

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CONTACT: Adam Keigwin, Mercury Public Affairs

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LGBT Community Commends Sacramento Kings for Building World’s First Arena to Fully Accommodate Transgender Fans

Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center to have 23 All Gender Restrooms

Sacramento, CA – Two of the nation’s largest LGBT organizations, Equality California and Transgender Law Center, today commended the Sacramento Kings for building the world’s first entertainment and sports arena to fully accommodate transgender fans. Golden 1 Center, which is set to officially open on October 1, will have 23 all gender public restrooms throughout the arena.

In addition, the Sacramento Kings proudly support the Transform California campaign – a campaign founded by Equality California and Transgender Law Center to promote respect, understanding and safety for all transgender Californians. As part of the effort, coalition members, legislators and organizations sign the Transform California pledge – opposing discrimination against transgender people.

“The Sacramento Kings are leading not only the NBA, but sports worldwide in building the first arena to ensure transgender fans are fully respected and welcomed,” said Rick Zbur, Executive Director of Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBT civil rights organization. “We commend the Sacramento Kings and we are hopeful they are the first of many franchises to provide accommodations for all fans.”

“We set out to build the most connected and forward-thinking arena in the world because we wanted to ensure the very best fan experience for everyone regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” said Vivek Ranadive, Owner and Chairman of the Sacramento Kings.

“It’s heartening to see a major sports team take such a clear and meaningful step to support their transgender fans, and we hope many others will follow the Sacramento Kings’ lead,” said Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center, the largest national organization advancing justice for transgender and gender non-conforming people through litigation, policy advocacy, and public education. “Sports are a big part of many people’s lives, and everyone should be able to enjoy the game without worrying about being harassed if they need to use a restroom.”

In addition to being the first arena to fully accommodate the transgender community, Golden 1 Center is the first indoor arena in the world to earn the United States Green Building Council LEED Platinum designation for its energy efficiency and green building practices. Utilizing Sacramento’s 300 days of sunshine, the venue is the first entirely solar powered arena in the world and features innovative conservation tactics and local food sourcing. It is also the most connected and technologically advanced arena in the world, featuring the fastest connection in sports – 200 gigabit per second Ethernet connections – as well as the largest indoor arena screen in stunning 4K ultra high definition.

“We are very excited to see our hometown team exhibiting leadership in the movement for nondiscrimination in all public spaces for transgender and gender non-conforming folks.” said Ben Hudson, Executive Director of the Gender Health Center, which serves the Sacramento region. “This commitment to the safety of our community is unprecedented from a professional sports team and this truly makes us Sacramento Proud.”

“We are very proud that the Kings have led the way with inclusionary facility design to accommodate restroom access for transgender fans right from the beginning at the Golden 1 Center,” said David Heitstuman, Executive Director of the Sacramento LGBT Community Center. “We hope this initiative serves as an example to not only other professional sports franchises, but all public facilities, so that our entire community can feel welcome and safe as they enjoy sports and entertainment activities and go about their daily lives.”

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Transform California is a campaign co-founded by the Transgender Law Center and Equality California and led by a diverse coalition of Californians who are committed to making the Golden State a place where all transgender people can feel safe and live free from discrimination. While varied in background, our mission in coming together is the same: promote respect, understanding and safety for the transgender community, and to oppose discrimination of all kinds. For more information or to sign the pledge, visit TransformCalifornia.com.